In DLSU, numerous digital platforms have been introduced to streamline enlistment, secure assessments, and support learning. However, recent rollouts have raised questions on how digital systems are evaluated before they are integrated into standard university processes.
Archers Hub and transition pains
This concern grew loudest following the University’s migration to Archers Hub, the new student portal meant to consolidate processes previously on My.LaSalle and Animo.sys. Students cited issues like confusing navigation, limited guidance, course information shifting access, and the short adjustment period before implementation.
Miguel Asido (II, AB-PHM) reflects that, despite flaws and a few “unnecessary features,” the older systems generally performed their intended functions. Yet, on Archers Hub, these issues grow more consequential, impeding student services. He describes the platform as “stressful, time-consuming, and not the most accessible.”
Asido says his account reflected a later enlistment schedule than expected despite being an ID 125 dean’s lister, leaving him feeling “sabotaged” and unable to access the privileges tied to his standing.
The platform also changed how students prepared for enlistment. Unlike Animo.sys, where preferred schedules could be saved beforehand and confirmed once a slot opened, Archers Hub requires students to rebuild their lineup during enlistment itself. Students must track section codes under time pressure, instead of being able to prepare beforehand, adding work to a process already strained by limited slots.
To address these issues, Asido suggests further mock testing, employee training, stronger contingencies, and consultation with computer science experts for better implementation. Recent encounters with Archers Hub reveal that even official guidance fails to provide clarity. When students are forced to rely on peers and the University Student Government for assistance, the burden of a new system falls back on their shoulders.
These same tensions appear beyond the confines of DLSU. At Ateneo de Manila University, Samantha Beljot and Beatrice Taya commented on the Ateneo Integrated Student Information System, with Beljot commending the convenience it brings for enlistment and tuition processing. However, frustrations persist as Tayag highlights the platform’s outdated interface, weak mobile compatibility, and enlistment crashes.
Student resistance to imposed systems
Unfortunately, this is not the first nor last time the students have struggled with digital innovations in the University. Concerns over digital systems were also raised during the introduction of the now-suspended LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor earlier during AY 2025-2026.
The University subscribed to these tools aiming for academic integrity for Animospace quizzes. LockDown Browser restricts students from copying, pasting, opening another website, or accessing other applications while taking Canvas assessments. Meanwhile, Respondus Monitor adds webcam-based recording for students taking non-proctored online examinations.
However, Diego David Yason (IV, CS-ST) questioned the rollout, believing that the issue extended beyond online proctoring. Requiring monitoring software on student-owned computers prompted questions about how far the University could extend control over student activity in the name of integrity.
Acknowledging the need for accountability during assessments, Yason maintained that it should be a program pursued reasonably. “This is not exactly what we signed up for as students,” he argues. Thus, after student objections, DLSU suspended the implementation of Respondus Monitor and LockDown Browser in November 2025 to review its online monitoring guidelines.
Today, Archers Hub deepens student concerns about program execution. Yason expresses that, though students initially welcomed the platform because “everyone knew that MLS and Animo.sys [were] overdue for replacement,” the experience changed many views.
“Concept-wise, I was happy. Implementation-wise, I was very thrown off. Then actual enlistment, I hated it,” he shared.
The faculty perspective
Faculty experiences provide another view of the landscape. College of Computer Studies professors Arlyn Verina Tiu and Jocelynn Cu, and College of Liberal Arts Prof. Jose Ma. Arcadio Malbarosa were asked about the University’s attempts at digital innovation.
Tiu and Cu note that online platforms support recorded sessions and flexible attendance. Malbarosa observed the hybrid learning’s ability to promote learner-centric and self-propelled education as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into teaching. However, the modality’s high reliance on technology creates challenges in sustaining engagement and encouraging participation.
The faculty expresses primarily positive encounters with Archers Hub, though, similarly, their experiences were marred by initial issues during the platform’s launch. Tiu conveys concerns with the platform’s user interface and access control. She reports being able to manage classes not assigned to her and edit the grades of its students, echoing potential data safety concerns. On the other hand, Cu recalls encountering missing students in class lists, while Malbarosa shares issues with students being integrated late into his classes.
Despite these hurdles, professors report that Archers Hub proved functional on their end. Tiu testifies that grade encoding was smooth, and Cu explains that the issues instructors encountered were quickly resolved with the assistance of support mechanisms.
Nonetheless, Cu empathizes with student enlistment frustrations, noting that some issues absent in pilot testing only appear under real-world conditions. Tiu views these obstacles as “growing pains” of a rushed rollout rather than fundamental issues, remaining optimistic about the long-term potential of Archers Hub to consolidate systems scattered across My.LaSalle and Animo.sys.
Prepared for today and tomorrow
While students have raised concerns about the University’s digital innovations, professors view DLSU as technologically prepared. Malbarosa highlights the institution’s history as a hybrid learning pioneer, implementing hybrid modality since 2014 under the Sakai-based MyCourses learning management system before transitioning to the Canvas-based Animospace in 2019.
Consequently, Tiu and Cu attribute this readiness to continued investments in tools such as Canvas, specialized instructional software, and Google Workspace, which Tiu calls “indispensable for administrative and academic work.”
Malbarosa maintains that DLSU’s systems are neither excellent nor lackluster, but its continued improvements show that the University remains responsive to innovation. For him, digital progress should be guided by care for the community it serves.
This standard now frames DLSU’s next challenge for the years to come. As digital systems become more central to University processes, readiness will ultimately depend on procedural transparency, institutional accountability, and the trust that students and faculty alike place in their underlying processes.